Steve Yates with the Stowe Mountain Resort ski patrol tears down an off-trail favorite from the top of Spruce Peak Friday morning, Feb. 17, 2017. Two other ski patrol members were with Yates, all watching one another, all making sure they got down safely. (Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo

Get out your goggles. Dig out your wool socks. Ski season has arrived — a week before Thanksgiving at Killington and Sugarbush.

Ahead of opening day, Sugarbush offered season passholders the oportunity to lay down some freshies from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday — advanced skiers only, according to the website.

"The wait is over. Due to a sweet stretch of cold temperatures and our spectacular snowmaking team, we have rescheduled Opening Day 2017 - 2018 for this Friday," an 8:15 a.m. status update on the Sugarbush website stated Thursday.

According to the Sugarbush report, the snowmakers laid down base-building snow on Jester, Organgrinder, Downspout, Snowball and Spring Fling at Lincoln Peak, plus Rim Run, Elbow, Looking Good and Inverness at Mt. Ellen, which will open Dec. 22.

Killington, which was first to open on Nov. 9, posted at 9:01 a.m. Thursday: "Killington patrol will drop ropes on Downdraft Headwall and Upper Downdraft this morning — you can be one of the first to test them out."

The resort's webpage stated that eight of 10 open trails and the early season terrain park on Reason were freshly groomed. As with all early skiing, Killington's terrain is for those with skills intermediate or above.

Stowe Mountain Resort on Wednesday posted to its website that the season will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday with over 2,000 vertical feet of skiing and riding.

Stowe's team gave thanks "to a week of excellent snowmaking temperatures."

The report said there were 12 open trails and the team expected to open: Upper Lord, Lord, North Slope, Lower North Slope, Ridgeview, Lower Ridgeview, Sunrise, Standard, Crossover, Lower Lord, Centerline and possibly Upper Hayride.

Skiiers hoping for a Friday night run at Bolton Valley will have to wait until after the projected opening on Dec. 9, according to the website.